Love is Everywhere, You Need Only Look
by DeityOfDarkness
Summary: Love can be found in the oddest of places, laying on the dirty ground of Darktown, boozing away in the Hanged Man, or even in the Deep Roads. Love is everywhere, for everyone.


Author's Notes!:

I DO NOT OWN DRAGON AGE...as much as I'd like to. The only things I own are MY characters, Garrett Hawke, Mirian, and the others that will come later. There will be very very many pairings in this, it is not centered around any one specific one though at times it may seem I like one more than the other. To be completely and totally honest I'm not sure how long this will be and I'm not fully sure how it will end. All I know is there will be drama, humour, romance, fighting, death, you know all the good things that come with Dragon Age. :)

Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated and if you have any suggestions those are even more greatly appreciated. I can't promise I will post often seeing as I will be working almost all the time for about three weeks starting sometime in December. Then after that I have exams, yuck, but after that I'll have all the time in the world to work on this! 8D

This is my first published work on and I hope you all like it. Please enjoy.

Warning: There is attempted rape in this chapter. Yup, you read that right. Attempted RAPE.

Future chapters will contain more things like that, including successful rape though I will keep out the gruesome details. Also future chapters will contain gay and lesbian interactions and smutty things, so if you don't like it. Don't read it.

Chapter One: Templars.

"Hey boys, look what I've found. It's a dirty little Apostate mouse hiding down here Darktown. How fitting." A tall well-built but not very attractive blonde Templar laughed menacingly. He was obviously drunk as he kicked a small dark haired woman into the dirt. The other Templars simply laughed as he did, they were just as drunk as he was, if not more. The woman weakly tried to pick herself up from the dirt floor beneath her but another unattractive Templar dug his boot into her back, pushing her down. No one around was brave enough to stand up against the Templars, lest they get tossed into the Gallows for helping an Apostate. There was only one man down there that would help but he was currently unaware of the situation.

"She's a pretty little mouse, what should we do with her Captain?" the Templar that held her down asked, a grin planted on his flushed face. The third one crouched down in front of her and lifted her chin to get a better look at her face.

"We should have some fun with her, it'd be a waste to just toss her into the Gallows." he suggested before she spat in his face, earning a slap across her own before he wiped his face off.

"Keep your hands off me you Templar dogs!" she snarled out, her Orlesian accent very present. The Templar dug his foot into her back even more making her cry out in pain.

"Let's teach the Orlesian wench a lesson." the Captain decided, already in the process of undoing his trousers. "Hold her down." he barked out, crouching down over with a lecherous grin. The Templar she'd spat on grabbed her hands and held them down, grinning almost evilly.

"No! Please, somebody help me!" she cried out, thrashing under the Templar's hold despite the pain.

"Shut up, bitch." the one hold her hands slapped her again, this time his gauntlet left gashes along her cheek causing tears to slip from her eyes. The Captain began to push her robes up, his trousers already undone and his shaft out and ready. She cried out once more, her voice a bit strained as she again attempted to get away from them.

Anders, an Apostate healer who's clinic was in Darktown, heard the scream and stopped mid-step. It took him a moment to shake off his shock before he began to run in the direction of the scream to find the three Templars trying to defile the poor girl. A rage like no other filled him at the sight and he felt the spirit of Justice rising up. His body burned with power as he began to glow with magic.

"How dare you defile this woman in such a manner!" his deep voice cried out in rage as he shot a bolt of lightning into the back of the Captain. The Templar shook furiously as he fell over, dying a slow and painful death. The other two quickly turned to him in shock, stumbling back away from the woman. "You will pay for this crime with your lives." he snarled out before calling out a fire storm, burning them both to a crisp. They fell back, smoke rising from their now dead bodies.

The Orlesian girl rolled over wincing in pain before staring up at him in surprise, confusion, and gratitude. As Ander's body slowly returned to normal he weakly stumbled towards her, using his staff for support. She pushed herself up and almost crawled back away but found herself too weak to, besides just holding herself up hurt enough to make her want to break down again.

"Are you alright?" Anders asked, his voice no longer deep and enraged but handsome and genuinely concerned. She hesitated at first, scanning his face for any sigh of hate or possibilities of attacking her and found none.

"I'm...fine, other than a few bruises and a broken ego." she said. He smiled at the joke and held his hand out to her to help her up, no longer seeming as weak. She hesitated again but took his hand and winced, gasping in pain as he helped her up. "Alright...maybe a few ribs as well." she rasped out, holding her side.

"I can heal you, if you'll let me." he said, pulling her arm around his broad shoulders to help support her. She smiled at him but shook her head, allowing him to help her stand.

"Thank you, but you've done more then enough for me already." she said gratefully as she pulled her away and began to balance on her own, wincing again. "I only wish there was a way for me to repay you, Ser." she grimaced slightly as she began to hold her side again, doing her best to ignore the pain.

"Repay me by allowing me to heal you then. My clinic is not far from here, it's just that way." he said, gesturing in the direction of his hidden clinic. It wasn't much and it was as dirty as the rest of Darktown but it was a place where he could help those who deserved and needed it, that was enough for him. Not to mention the fact that most of the time Templars never bothered to venture that far, allowing him to work in peace.

"But then you would be-" she began but her stopped her, holding up his hand to silence her. He smiled as he pulled her arm back around his shoulders and began moving in the direction of his clinic.

"Getting exactly what I want, thus allowing you to repay me." he chuckled lightly when she sighed in defeat and allowed him to help her walk. She didn't say it out loud but he could see he was already adding salt to the wound in her ego.

"Thank you, Ser. You are too kind." she said smiling to herself as she limped along at his side. He laughed more and pushed open the door to his clinic with his foot when they arrived there. He helped her over to a cot and sat her down on it before leaning his staff against one of the pillars holding up the roof. The roof that was holy enough to make even the Maker jealous. (hehe)

"Please, call me Anders. Ser reminds me of my days as a Grey Warden." he said smiling at her. She smiled back, her interest piqued as he laid her down on the cot. He noticed the curiosity in her eyes and simply shook his head.

"You were once a Grey Warden?" she asked, staring up at him with her wide green eyes. For a moment her found himself getting lost in those enchanting emerald orbs, but he was pulled back to reality by Justice snapping at him in his mind. He smiled down at her again and held his hands out over his body before they began to glow much like his whole body had been earlier.

"Yes, I was. Now I'm here though, healing those who need it." his voice was a mixture of his own and that of Justice, the spirit within him. He moved his hands over her almost as if he was grabbing onto a rope and pulling it from her body, lifting her up in the process. She gasped in surprise as she felt the pain pulled from her body, a tingling sensation replacing it. He let go and the glowing faded out as he stumbled back against the very post his staff leaned on. He looked as exhausted as he had before when Justice has taken full control.

She sat up, looking over at him with worried eyes. Just as she was about to reach out to him and group of people entered the Clinic looking around curiously. The leader was a tall well-built tanned mage with short silvery-white hair pulled back into a small ponytail. His face was a bit scruffy and rough but his features seemed very friendly and open, his wide grey eyes scanning the Clinic with curiosity. Behind him stood a handsome blonde beardless Dwarf, his hairy chest exposed by his open shirt, and a crossbow planted on his back. A red headed guardswoman that could obviously hold up her own also entered behind him, she was armed with a long sword and a very hefty shield making her seem more intimidating then then the bored look on her face. A brooding elf with the same silvery-white hair and odd white markings all over his skin leaned against the doorframe, his broadsword on his back just barely not dragging on the ground. His moss green eyes looked straight at Anders and Mirian with disdain. Ander's hand was suddenly on his staff as he glared at the group, his hands glowing slightly as the magic began to swirl around him. He was fully prepared to put up a fight, despite the fact that he was apparently outnumbered and outmatched.

"Why do you threaten this place of healing?" he demanded, the Orlesian girl watching in surprise and confusion. She'd assumed they were here for help, just like she was, perhaps there was something she'd missed or didn't know about these people. The tanned mage held up his hands in defense, stopping where he was, though a glint of mischief shone in his pale grey eyes.

"Whoa whoa, calm down. We're not here to fight, I just want to talk." the mage said, his words seemed sincere enough but Anders and the Orlesian were both still very aware of the mischievous glint in his eyes. Anders relaxed his stance a bit, the magic calming around him but he remained cautious. His hand still gripped his staff tightly, just in case this newcomer wasn't as friendly as he appeared.

"Did the Wardens send you? I'm not going back." Anders said, a bit darkly. Despite the seriousness of his tone the Orlesian girl found herself snickering slightly. He glanced at her and went to say something in response to her laughter but was cut short by the blonde Dwarf.

"I promise you, that's not why we're here at all. You're close though, it does deal with the Grey Wardens." he said, the grin on his face was too calm, too...suave. He obviously was a professional talker and knew how to use his words to his advantage, thus gaining Ander's cautious attention once more.

"We're going on an expedition into the Deep Roads and we heard you might be able to help us find a good way in." the mage spoke up again, silencing his dwarven friend who seemed completely content with that. Understanding what was going on Anders groaned, shaking his head as he set his staff down once more.

"I'd prefer to never have to think of that damned place ever again." he rubbed his face and waved them off feeling his Clinic was way to crowded right now. The Orlesian girl who'd remained quiet the whole time stood up, beaming. Anders may not want to help them but she certainly was willing to.

"I could help you, I've been down there before." she said, causing Ander's eyes to widen in surprise. The idea of her, or any woman, having been down in that retched place made his stomach churn and his face pale. He knew very well what the Darkspawn did to women, he'd seen it once himself and he hoped to never witness that ever again. Then again from what he could tell of her it was hard to imagine her even in Darktown, she seemed so young and innocent, so...perhaps he was wrong, but he was not about to risk it. "I might have some ma-"

"No. You will not be going anywhere near the Deep Roads." he said, interrupting her. Her brows furrowed as she looked back at him in confusion. The mage's excited look faded into a frown, he'd been so close. He sighed and was getting ready to give up on that venture when Anders turned his attention to him again. "I will help you in return for a favor." The mage grinned again with renewed hope. He went to say something but this time the red headed guardswoman intervened.

"What sort of favor are you talking about?" she asked, the mage grimaced at her but said nothing. He simply waited for Anders response because to be honest he too wanted to know what sort of favor he meant before agreeing.

"I have a friend here, a mage named Karl. We had been sending letters back and forth for a while but he suddenly stopped replying. That's why I came here in the first place, I was worried about him. I got a letter from him after arriving though where he told me to meet him at the Chantry so we could speak alone." Anders told them, leaning against the post once more. The red-head grimaced and went to say something against helping him when the tanned mage spoke up again, grinning widely.

"So let me guess, you want some backup in case of Templars?" he asked, earning a nod from Anders. He hummed thoughtfully and silenced the red-head when she went to protest again looking rather irritated. "We'll help." he said simply. The marked elf snorted shaking his head as he pushed himself off the door way.

"Great...more mages." he sighed sarcastically before walking out of the clinic, completely ignoring the glare he received from Anders, the Orlesian, and his own leader.

"...Well seeing as we'll be working together now, I'm Garrett Hawke. The Dwarf is Varric, and that's Aveline." he said gesturing to the Dwarf then the red-head. "The elf is Fenris, don't worry about him. He seems stand-offish but he'll grow on you." Anders hummed doubtfully. It was obvious the elf-Fenris didn't like mages, and Anders already disliked him simply for that.

"I'm Ander's and this is-" it occurred to him then that he had no idea what the Orlesian girl's name was. He looked over at her a bit lost and she simply smiled widely at both him and Hawke.

"Mirian." she said saving him. Garrett nodded and put his hands behind his head, feeling content with this meeting.

"Alright, then I guess we will see you tonight." he began slowly backing up towards the door, his companions having already turned to leave. Anders and Mirian nodded to him and waved as he left, grinning even more.

They stood there for a moment, both completely silent. Mirian was still looking at the open door of then clinic, fidgeting with her fingers. Anders stood behind the cot watching her closely, contemplating what he was going to say to her before finally deciding.

"You've been in the Deep Roads?" he asked, not looking away so he could gauge her reaction. She tensed slightly, biting her lower lip as she stopped fidgeting but remained holding her hands where they were. She turned away completely and sat down on the cot, thinking about how to answer him. The story of her venture into the Deep Roads was a very private story that she'd never told anyone before. The only people who knew what happened were there and they...well they were all dead. After an even longer awkward silence she finally glanced back at him no longer looking like the young innocent Orlesian girl he'd saved. Now she looked more like that of a young tortured woman that had seen and done things no one should ever have to do.

"It's...a very long story, if you really want to know." she said a bit quietly. His brows furrowed and he slowly sat down next to her, looking away long enough to glance at the floor deciding whether it was his right to pry or not. He then looked over at her again to see she too was staring at the dirt floor.

"I do want to know." he said after a moment, earning a forced smile. She sighed as if readying herself before turning her body fully towards him. He waited patiently as she looked down at her hands for a moment. Their eyes locked and he noticed how dark her bright green eyes seemed now.

"I was a Templar." she stated simply.

Please review. 3


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